Day Late
by XMizukiX
Summary: -DISCONTINUED- Tamaki moves back to France, because he thinks Haruhi hates him, and he has no reason to stay in Japan. But Haruhi doesn't hate him, it was a misunderstanding. But is it too late to bring there separate lives back together after 7 years?
1. Mixed Assumptions

A/N: This story was my first ever fanfic, and I have recently revised it. It was riddled with errors, and the formatting was FAR from correct, so I touched it up quite a bit. But I didn't actually rewrite the chapters, because I wanted to keep the essence of the original chapters. I'll try to come out with a new chapter soon, but in the mean time, enjoy! :)

* * *

"I cannot _believe_ you Tamaki!" a furious female voice screamed, as the large pink doors of the third music room barged open.

The owner of that voice went up to the absent minded blonde, as he looked out at the dying sun from one of the large windows within the lavishly decorated room.

He turned to see his friend storming towards him. "Hi Haru-" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw that she was fuming at him. It was quite obvious he hadn't heard her angry entrance.

"Huh? Haruhi, what's wrong?" he asked the enraged, petite girl.

"Oh, you know what's wrong!" she screeched, her brown eyes ablaze. "You're the one who did it after all!"

"Haruhi," he began calmly, putting comforting hands on her small shoulders. "What did I do?" He looked at her with curious violet orbs, wondering what could've gotten the usually calm girl so upset.

"How could you not _know_?! _You're _the one who sent_ Éclair_ to tell me!" she screeched, as if it was obvious.

"What are you talking about?" he questioned, but Haruhi didn't seem to hear what he had asked, and continued.

"I can't believe you're going back to _France_… And with _her_ of all people…" she muttered in disbelief, an obviously hurt expression in her chocolate orbs.

"Haruhi, that's not tr—" he tried to explain to her, but was cut off unexpectedly.

"Forget it Suoh," the brunette coldly cut him off, looking away from him. But not before he caught a glimpse of her eyes.

The look in them was menacing and painful at the same time. Sadness, anger, and hurt clouded the moist coffee irises, and he hoped to never see that look again.

She harshly pushed his hands off her shoulders, and ran out of the room, into the corridor.

"Haruhi, wait!" the blonde called to her desperately, as he ran out after her.

She ran as fast as she could, but he was faster, and caught her abruptly by the shoulders. "Let go of me!" she commanded at the sudden grasp on her small shoulders, knowing it was him behind her.

"No," he replied defiantly, tightening his grasp. "Let me explain first."

But she ignored his demand.

"Let go!" she screamed yet again, and slapped him, hard, on his cheek, leaving a red mark of where her hand had been.

He let go of her, and was too shocked with the fact that she had done that, then with the fact that it hurt.

"I hate you Tamaki Suoh! _**I hate you!**_" she screamed throughout the crowded corridor, for all to hear.

Although the words were shocking, it hit Tamaki the hardest, as those three, cruel words echoed through his ears.

"_I hate you Tamaki Suoh__**! I hate you!**__"

* * *

_

"_Why Tamaki? Why are you leaving me… for her? I… I never thought I would fall in love with an idiot like you, but I did… All I wanted was for you to love me back… but maybe that was too much to ask from you… You'd rather go back to France with Éclair, huh? She's more beautiful than me anyway…"_ she thought to herself bitterly, as she ran down hallway, avoiding the shocked and disgusted glares from her fellow classmates.

"_That's probably is, isn't it?"_ she seemed to ask him, tears running down her face.

"_Why does it seem, that the people I love always disappear?" _she pleadingly asked. _"Why me?"

* * *

_

"_I'm sorry Haruhi. I'm so, _**so**_, sorry. I never meant to hurt you. That would never be my intention… I would never leave you… I told my father I wouldn't go back, because I wanted to stay here, with my friends… with _**you**_. I love you… but if you hate me, I'll get out of your way. I'll leave you be." _Tamaki thought to himself miserably.

"_I'll do it for your sake, Haruhi. I'll do it for you,"

* * *

_

And so, Tamaki moved back to France, without saying good-bye to anyone; not even Haruhi. He left a letter telling his friends where he was going, but there was no return address, and no other ways of communication.

It read:

_Dear Friends,_

_I am leaving, for the sake of someone very important to me._

_Yes, I am leaving for France, and I would rather not explain the reasons, for they are too painful to mention._

_I know, this is a selfish decision on my part, but I must do this… for her sake._

_Please, do not have anyone come after me. I don't want to cause anyone anymore harm, or pain._

_Please forgive me for being so blind, and selfish. I apologize._

_Tamaki Suoh

* * *

_

To the host club, it seemed like a much too formal, and out of character letter from their ecstatic friend. But it got the point across. He had left them, and returned to France.

So Tamaki Suoh disappeared like a cloud of smoke. Only leaving a few, bittersweet memories behind. And wasn't seen by any of the Host Club members, until seven years later.


	2. Trains of Thought

A/N: I have revised every chapter in this story, including the one before this! Anyone who hasn't read that chapter, please read THAT one BEFORE this one! And don't forget to tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is GREATLY appreciated! Thank you! :)

(Oh, and this chapter has been merged with what was originally the next one. So now, there is one less chapter now, for the sake of chapter length.)

* * *

"I miss you… Haruhi…" a certain blonde haired, violet eyed boy whispered to himself, as he watched the cold drops of rain slide down the stain glass windows of his room.

It had been seven years since he had seen her... He had graduated from college, inherited the Suoh business corporation, and found himself a girlfriend, who was beautiful, rich, and kind. He liked her, a lot, but he didn't think he would like… no _love_, _**anyone**_, like he loved Haruhi.

He thought about her often, especially on rainy days. He wondered if she was still afraid of thunder and lightning, if she was living well, if she had found someone… But he could only wonder, for he had moved back to France, and lost all contact with her.

"_I'm so stupid!_" he muttered to himself angrily, running a hand through his blonde hair. "It's been _seven years!_ She either doesn't remember you, or she still hates you!"

Little did he know, at that very moment, half way across the world, a certain brown haired girl, was thinking of him too.

* * *

"_Tamaki?"_ a certain brunette thought to herself, as she saw a familiar looking, tall, blonde man walk down the street.

"_I'm just imagining things,"_ she convinced herself, shaking her head as to remove the image from her mind. She was trying to forget about that boy from her painful memories. But she couldn't. _"It's been seven years!"_ she thought angrily.

"_You graduated from a great college! Now you're a lawyer, and you have a wonderful life, career and boyfriend who loves you! Forget about Tamaki Suoh! He didn't love you! He chose to move to France instead of staying with you!"_ she tried to convince herself, as she hurried home through the crowded streets of Tokyo.

* * *

"I'm home!" Haruhi notified her boyfriend, Arai, as she wearily entered their humble apartment, still littered with unopened boxes. Her and Arai had started dating just two years before, and had just moved in together. Obviously, they still had quite a few boxes to unpack.

"Hey Haruhi, how was work?" he greeted her, getting up from his place beside an open box, where he had just been, unpacking its contents.

She didn't respond.

"Did something happen?" Arai asked, troubled with her unusual behavior.

"Nothing, I'm just tired." she half lied, hints of frustration in her already exhausted voice.

"Haruhi, something's wrong, tell me…" he asked, concern visible on his face.

"_Oh no, I'm really worrying him…" _she thought, biting her lip guiltily.

"It's nothing…" she replied, looking down at her feet.

She didn't want him to be bothered, but she didn't want to talk about it either.

_Why would her current boyfriend want to hear about her first love? _

Arai decided to drop the subject, seeing as she was quite annoyed with his persistence.

"Well anyway… dinner is ready." he told her, in a pathetic attempt to ease the tension.

They both went to the dining table, where Arai had already set up their dinner. They ate in total silence; the only sound was that of Arai's quiet chewing. But all Haruhi did was nibble on her meal, and stare into space.

"_What's with her today?" _Arai thought with apprehension, as he stared inquisitively at his oblivious girlfriend._ "We usually chat… talk about our day… why is today so different?"

* * *

_

That night was the same as the rest of the evening: silent. Arai was worried out of his mind, but tried not to show it. And Haruhi was still blank and expressionless.

"_What's wrong with her, and why can't she tell me?"_ Arai questioned, looking at the ceiling, confused. He wondered aimlessly to himself, trying to figure out what had made her so blank today.

"_Maybe her memories of Suoh-San have come back... But she says she's gotten over him…"_ he suddenly thought, wondering if the cause of Haruhi's emotionless demeanor was a sudden resurface of her memories of Tamaki Suoh: the love her life. The one who had abandoned her… He was still pondering the possibilities, as he turned on his side on their queen-sized bed, his back to her.

Haruhi still lay awake, long after Arai had drifted off to sleep. She was still thinking about Tamaki, and that fateful day so many years ago.

"_You left me for __**her**__…"_ she thought with despise, as silent tears trickled down her face.

She ran the memory of that last day through her head over and over again, until sorrow lead her off to a sleep, plagued with nightmares.


	3. A Secret Discovery

"Tamaki-San, are you okay?" A red-headed girl named Kamiko asked with apparent worry in her quiet voice. She halted her eating to look up at her boyfriend from across the table, concerned with his behavior for the past several weeks.

"Hmm?" he asked, looking up from his plate, obviously not sure what she had said, only aware that she had acknowledged him.

"I asked," she restated, a bit annoyed. "Are you okay? Because you've been out of it lately…"

The blonde hesitated a bit before answering. "It's nothing Kamiko," he told her, a fake smile plastered on his face.

And as he lowered his head again to continue eating, he muttered to himself: "At least nothing you should be concerned about."

But Kamiko could see through that false smile. "Tamaki, tell me what's wrong!" she commanded, getting up from her seat edgily.

"I already _told_ you it's _**nothing**_!" he yelled, standing up so suddenly, his chair fell over, and hit the marble floor with a sharp thud.

"What's been with you Tamaki?! How come you can't tell me?! Can you not trust me?!" she screeched, throwing question, after question at him, angry tears trickling down her face.

"I can't tell you! You would never understand!" he replied, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. But he wasn't succeeding.

"Why?! Why can't you tell me?!" She demanded an answer.

"I already told you! I just _**can't**_." was his defeated reply. All traces of anger and annoyance out of his voice, as though he didn't have enough energy to continue their argument.

"And besides, you would probably hate me if you knew." he whispered, barely audible. But she heard him nonetheless.

"Well too bad. I think I already do." she retorted through bitter tears and gritted teeth.

With that, she ran off; up the grand stairs of their mansion, and down the corridors.

"Kamiko! Please!" he seemed to beg, as he ran after her.

She ran as fast as he could, but yet again, he was faster, and caught her by her shoulders.

"Let go!" she ordered, and Tamaki felt her shoulders tense under his grip.

He was hit with realization, when he remembered that he had done the same thing to Haruhi seven years before, and she had had the same angry response. But unlike Haruhi, Kamiko didn't hesitate—not even to give him another chance to release her—and slapped him on his cheek, leaving a burning red mark. He just stood there in a daze, as she ran down the hallway.

* * *

Kamiko soon ran out of breath, from the screaming she had done earlier, and fatigue. She opened the closest door to her to find a lavishly decorated room, with beautiful stain glass windows, plush carpet, and gorgeous furniture. But she ignored it, completely used to it all.

What really caught her eye was a shelf, with dozens of pictures laid upon its surface. She walked towards it, and when she saw the smiling faces of the people in the photographs, she recognized them as the Ouran Host Club. She recognized Kyoya, Hikaru, Kaoru, Hunny, and Mori, for Tamaki had told her all about them. But there was one face she didn't recognize among the many pictures. It was a petite girl, with short chocolate brown hair, and matching eyes.

And the most peculiar thing was that she was wearing a boy's uniform in almost all of the pictures… She felt a pang of jealousy, as she saw that in most of the pictures, she was with Tamaki, and they were always smiling. But still, her anger disappeared, as curiosity took over.

"Maybe this is that 'Haruhi' he sometimes mentions." she thought to herself, as she took one of the pictures into her hands.

Tamaki sometimes mentioned Haruhi, but would quickly shrug off the subject. And once or twice, accidentally call her that. Sometimes, he would even just mutter her name, when he was day dreaming. Kamiko was very interested in finding out who this girl might be, and snooped around the room, looking through the drawers, and other shelves in the room that she thought belonged to Tamaki.

She took a book off one of the many shelves, and leafed through the pages. It appeared to be a yearbook of Tamaki's last year at Ouran. In between one of the pages, there was a slip of paper, folded in half. She took it out, and opened it. Inside in neat, graceful handwriting, it read:

_Dear Haruhi, _

_Although I'm leaving for France, and marrying Eclair, I will always keep my memories of our days in the Host Club together. I will especially remember you. For you were the first girl to look past my looks and see the real me. _

_I am truly sorry for having to go, but keep this in mind: I will always love you. _

_Love,  
Tamaki _

As her sapphire orbs scanned the note, her chest burned with hatred.

"Obviously, he intended to give the note to that 'Haruhi' girl." she guessed to herself, her voice filled with venom.

"Oh well!" she laughed with sheer satisfaction, as she tore the note into near unreadable bits, putting the remains in a nearby wastebasket. She walked out the door, head held high, proud of herself for her discoveries, and that accomplishment.


	4. Smoke and Thunder

"Master Tamaki, Kamiko is here as you requested." Tamaki's secretary notified him of the arrival of his girlfriend.

"Thank you Tanaka-San," the blonde thanked him impassively, tapping his pencil agitatedly on his desk.

Kamiko entered the room, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Hello Tamaki." she greeted him haughtily, seating herself in the leather chair across from him, crossing her legs pompously.

"So," she began, her usual sweet voice, now smug and sarcastic. "Why did you call me here?"

"I would like to know," he inquired, reaching into a drawer, "What happened to this."

He opened his hand, revealing the shredded remains of a note, with his hand writing on it. She looked at it, speechless, eyes wide; her smug facade, gone.

"Did you do this?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes." she answered, quietly; hesitantly.

"You did?" Tamaki asked, uncertain. "You really did Kamiko?"

"Yes I-I did Tamaki." She said, still reluctant, looking down at her feet as though she was about to cry.

"Why?" was Tamaki's one, simple question, "Why would you do this?"

"I did it...because I was...jealous." She answered, a quiet sob escaped her lips.

"I guess you had every right to know, and you had to figure it out this way." Tamaki said, avoiding her eyes; he couldn't bear to see the tears.

"You...loved her...didn't you Tamaki?" she asked in between sobs, fear evident in her breaking voice.

"I'm sorry to say Kamiko that I still do, even after seven years." he replied in a bittersweet tone. "My only regret is that I never told her."

Kamiko started to sob even harder, averting her eyes. _"Why?"_ she thought bitterly. _"I thought I finally had someone, but from the beginning, I had nobody."_

She stood up, and was about to leave the room, when Tamaki came up to her.

"I'm really sorry for leading you on." he apologized. "I thought I was over her, but now I've realized that I still love her." He explained to the crying girl.

"And I've decided to go after her."

"No." she commanded sharply, not looking up.

"What?" he asked, staring questioningly at her.

"I said, _**no**_!" she yelled in a sudden burst of anger.

_If looks could kill, Tamaki would've certainly been dead._

"Kamiko, you're being unreasonable," he calmly replied, trying to make her understand.

"No Tamaki! You're mine, not hers!" she screamed, desperate.

"Calm down!" he tried to silence her hopeless argument.

"I'll make you mine Tamaki Suoh, I will!" she screamed, storming out of the room.

He watched her leave, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"What am I going to do?"

He slumped down in his large rolling chair, running a hand through his hair, thinking.

"I want to find her..."

* * *

Kamiko returned home in a rage. _"How could Tamaki make such a stupid decision?!"_

She stomped up to his room, bursting through the ornate doors. She went over to the shelf covered with the precious pictures from his years at Ouran.

"This will teach him," she thought coldly, carefully taking every picture with Haruhi in it—except for one—and carefully cut her out of each picture.

When she was done, she wiped all of the pictures off the table she had been working on, letting the ruined pictures fall to the floor. Cautiously, she made her to the other side of the room, putting the cutouts into the fireplace, and started a fire. She watched with satisfaction as the many smiling pictures of Haruhi Fujioka burned in the flames, curling at the edges, blackening the photographs to ashes.

"That's what you get Tamaki; for deceiving me." she said resentfully to herself, waiting for the fire to burn out.

She looked carefully at the one picture she didn't burn, and held it tightly in her hand. She walked out of the room, inhaling the smell of the burnt paper with approval.

* * *

Tamaki came home at the usual time, and immediately headed to his room. As soon as he entered, he could tell something was wrong.

The room smelt of smoke.

In a panic, he rushed to the shelf of pictures. There were hardly any of them in their frames. Instead, he found them scattered on the floor near his desk, crumpled, and covered in shoe marks.

He picked them up suspiciously, noticing that a figure was missing form all of them: Haruhi.

_"Kamiko did this," _he immediately assumed, "_Kamiko did,"_

There was no trace of Haruhi left in the pictures, for Kamiko had done her work well. He was just wondering… what did she do with the cutouts?

"_The smoke!"_ he remembered rushing over to the hearth. Inside was a pile of ash, still warm. He looked at it, dumbfounded.

All of his memories with...with _her_—all of the good times…consumed by fire and smoke.

That was when Tamaki decided he couldn't just stay there and let Kamiko think she had won.

He was going to find her.

He picked up the bag he had packed before time, and pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number he hadn't dialed in seven years. The phone rang for several moments, until a familiar male voice answered it.

"Hello? Kyouya Ootori speaking." The voice on the other end answered.

"Hello Kyoua, it's been awhile." Tamaki greeted his long-lost friend.

"Tamaki, is that you?" Kyouya asked, hoping that his ears had not failed him.

"Yes Kyouya, it's me." he answered; glad his best friend had remembered him after so long.

"What do you need Tamaki? I'm sort of busy."

"Okay Kyouya, I just need you to help me with something."

"Sure, anything."

"I need you to help me find someone." Tamaki half asked, half stated.

"Who?" Kyouya asked, amused.

"Haruhi, Haruhi Fujioka."

* * *

Haruhi looked out the foggy window, anxiously awaiting Arai's return. Startled by a sudden low rumble in the distance, she instinctively pulled her favorite light, blue blanket closer around her shoulders. She trembled silently, her mind a highway of thoughts, her face blank in fear.

There was a loud clap of thunder, as a strike of lightning lit the sky. She cowered in fear, rocking back and forth, her hands clamped over her ears in a desperate attempt to drown out the loud rumbles. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to calm herself, as heavy raindrops began pelting her window.

_"I wish Tamaki was here right now_. _Maybe then my fear would go away."_

She remembered that day at the beach so many years ago, when she had been pushed off that cliff, and nearly drowned. Tamaki had saved her, and for that, she owed her life to him. She thought about how he had stayed with her when she was so deathly afraid of the storm just passed those thin walls, protecting her in his warm embrace.

_"What are you thinking?!"_ she scolded herself, _"He did that __**only**__ as a friend, nothing more." _She was mad at herself for even thinking of that selfish, inconsiderate idiot.

As her mind wandered off the subject of Tamaki, she started to worry that maybe something had happened to Arai. He said he would be home at seven that evening—it was already nine, and he was still not home. The storm outside was raging, winds howling fiercely at the windowpanes, as the raindrops pelted the windows even harder.

She was now on the floor in a ball, holding onto her blanket for dear life. Unfortunately the power went out, leaving her in the darkness. Moments later, she heard a loud thud, as if someone was trying to kick the door open.

"Haruhi!" A male voice yelled above the storm. She couldn't distinguish the voice above the raging gale.

Desperately afraid of the storm outside, she thrust open the door, hoping to God that it was Arai…maybe even Tamaki. She was surprised to see a tall figure standing in the doorway…

"_That's not Arai…"_

"Tamaki?"


	5. Regretful Apologies

Kamiko's mind nagged at her the next morning. She felt anxious and miserable, as if something awful had happened. She sat up in bed, opening the top drawer of her bedside table, and began digging under notebooks, paper, albums and pens, until she came upon the now crumpled picture of Haruhi and Tamaki.

They were the only ones in the picture, smiling brightly. His arm was slung over her small shoulders. Kamiko looked at it thoughtfully, wishing things could have been like this for her; being so happy with that one special someone.

Now she felt bad for doing that to Tamaki. For trying to keep him from the one he loved… but she still had a deep hatred for Haruhi. She wandered off to his room to return the picture, and apologize, thinking that he would still be there. But when she opened the door, no one was there. All of his personal belongings were gone…

_"He left. He really left..."_ She thought with disbelief, as tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

He had left her to be with the one he _really _loved.

* * *

"Tamaki?" Haruhi asked, looking at the tall figure in the doorway.

"Are you really Tamaki?" The figure stepped close enough for her to see. She could recognize that blonde hair and those violet eyes anywhere.

"Yes," he replied, pulling her into his arms. For a second, Haruhi was too dumbfounded to do anything.

She was actually sort of happy, to see him after so long. But her amazement was soon replaced by anger. She pulled away from him, and the dam that had held her overflowing emotions since the day he had left them seven years ago, crumbled.

"What are you doing here?!" she screamed, pushing him away from her. "You think you can waltz in here after _**seven years**_, as if _nothing_ has changed?!"

"You think you can come back here, after leaving _**all **_of us like that?"

"After all you put me through?" she asked, tears welling in her brown eyes.

"After breaking my heart?"

Tears began to roll down her cheeks, and felt his heart drop, guilt staining his features.

"Haruhi, I'm so sorry." He began apologizing, on the verge of crying himself. "I thought it was for the be—"

But Haruhi interrupted him.

"_Stop it_ Tamaki!" she yelled, refusing to listen, pushing him away from her. "Stop trying to apologize when you're the reason!"

"Just please," she pleaded, her voice breaking. "Leave me alone."

She couldn't take it. She couldn't _take this_. This was too sudden for her. He just _poofed_ out of no where after seven whole years, as if nothing had happened. It was too confusing. All kinds of questions hit her. _Why is he here? What does he want? _There were too many mixed emotions, and with no thought at all, she raced out the open doorway.

"Haruhi, wait!" he yelled, as he ran after her, trying to keep track of her through the heavy rain. "Please!"

She ran as fast as she could, ignoring his desperate calls. Her mind raced.

_"Why? How? What?"_

_"What does he need from me? The girl he apparently didn't care leaving behind?"_

Then suddenly, her vision blurred, and only moments after—in the midst of it all—the world turned black.


	6. Discontinued

Day Late is officially DISCONTINUED. It's horribly written, and I have absolutely no intention of ever completing it. To anyone who actually liked this story, I _sincerely _thank you for your support, but I can't bring myself to finish it. Unless I finally strike up the nerve to totally revamp it, or write a short story with similar plot, which I doubt will ever happen, it is to be left incomplete. Therefore, I will officially be abandoning this account and its one story as well. It was fun while it lasted, but I've grown up, and looking back at this childish rubbish is embarrassing to me. Thanks for the memories, even if they weren't so great. :)

~"Mizuki"


End file.
